PhD researcher

Offer Description

1. In accordance with Decree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, as amended, it is hereby made public that, by decision of the Board of Directors of IPMA, I.P., of 11/12/2025, recorded in minutes No. 144/2025, the opening of the competitive procedure for the recruitment of a PhD researcher was authorized, within the scope of the ESA Climate Change Initiative – Land Evaporation (ESA CCI Land Evaporation) and Satellite Applications Facility on Land Surface Analysis (LSA SAF) projects, with a fixed-term public service employment contract for a period of three years, foreseeably renewable, with a view to carrying out research activities within the scope of the aforementioned projects, with the main objectives being (i) to develop and improve estimates, from satellite observations, of variables related to land surfaces (LSA SAF); (ii) Use satellite data to estimate evapotranspiration over land surfaces, validate and develop applications for these data (ESA CCI Land Evaporation). The ESA CCI Land Evaporation project is led by the University of Ghent (Belgium) and funded by ESA, while the LSA SAF project is led by IPMA and funded by EUMETSAT.

2. The functions inherent to the job position include:

a. Validating the evapotranspiration products developed in the ESA CCI Land Evaporation project using other satellite products (including LSA SAF) and in situ data, identifying discrepancies and their causes;

b. Developing applications for evapotranspiration data (ESA CCI and LSA SAF) that deepen the understanding of the water cycle, namely: quantifying the relevance of the terrestrial branch, in particular evapotranspiration; quantifying transport; relevance to climate extremes.

c. Applying the methods and knowledge developed in b. for evaluation of reanalyses (e.g., ERA-5, ERA5-Land) and weather forecasting or seasonal forecasting models;

d. Participation in meetings of national and international working groups within the scope of the activities foreseen in the projects (ESA CCI Land Evaporation, or LSA SAF);

e. Preparation and submission of scientific articles, including project reports;

f. Availability to supervise master’s students;

g. Availability to collaborate in the preparation of applications for national and international research projects.

3. Applicable legislation:

a. Decree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, amended by Law No. 57/2017, of July 19, which approved a regime for the hiring of PhDs, intended to stimulate scientific and technological employment in all areas of knowledge (RJEC);

b. General Law on Public Service Employment (LTFP), approved as an annex to Law No. 35/2014, of June 20, in its current wording;

c. Regulatory Decree No. 11-A/2017, of December 29.

4. In accordance with Article 16 of the RJEC, this bidding procedure is exempt from:

a. authorization from the members of the Government responsible for the areas of Finance and Public Administration, in particular that referred to in paragraph 3 of Article 7 of the LTFP;

b. obtaining the prior favorable opinion referred to in paragraph 5 of Article 30 of the LTFP; and,

c. the recruitment procedure for workers in a professional development situation, of Article 265 of the LTFP.

5. Admission Requirement:

National, foreign, and stateless candidates holding a PhD in a field relevant to the profile of this competitive procedure may apply, i.e., PhD in Meteorology, Geophysical Sciences, or a related field, as well as those whose academic degree or higher education diploma, awarded by foreign higher education institutions (in the same scientific area), has been recognized by a Portuguese higher education institution under Decree-Law No. 66/2018 of August 16.

6. Monthly Remuneration: fixed in accordance with the provisions of Article 15 of Law No. 57/2016 in conjunction with Article 2 of Regulatory Decree No. 11-A/2017 of December 29, corresponding to level 33 of the single remuneration table, which in 2025 corresponds to a gross monthly value of €2,351.53. In addition to the monthly salary, there are holiday and Christmas bonuses, as well as a meal allowance, in the amount and under the conditions stipulated for workers with a legal employment relationship.

7. Workplace: Earth Observation Unit (NOT) of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere, I.P. (IPMA, I.P.), located at the IPMA headquarters, on Rua C do Aeroporto de Lisboa (1749-077).

8. Duration of the fixed-term contract: 3 years, foreseeably automatically renewable for periods of one year up to a maximum duration of six years, in accordance with paragraph 2 of article 6 of Decree-Law no. 57/2016, of August 29.

9. In accordance with article 5 of the RJEC, the selection is carried out through the evaluation of the candidates’ scientific and curricular background.

10. The evaluation of the scientific and curricular background focuses on the relevance, quality and timeliness of the scientific background (scientific production and research experience) in the last five years, as expressed in the curriculum vitae and its suitability to the proposed work plan.

11. The five-year period referred to in the previous paragraph may be extended by the jury, at the candidate’s request, when justified by a suspension of scientific activity for socially protected reasons, namely, for reasons of parental leave, prolonged serious illness, and other legally protected reasons for unavailability for work.

12. The following are especially valued:

a. experience in the analysis of large databases of climate models and/or weather forecasting, or Earth Observation satellites;

b. experience and in-depth knowledge of atmospheric and surface variables and processes relevant to the water cycle, as well as their implications for weather and climate modeling.

13. The evaluation of the scientific and curricular path is expressed on a scale of 1 to 20 points, with candidates scoring below 9.5 points being excluded, and according to the following criteria and weightings:

a. Scientific or technological production in areas related to this competition, namely Meteorology, Geophysical Sciences, from the last five years considered most relevant by the candidate (5 points);

b. Applied or practice-based research activities developed in the last five years and considered to have the greatest impact by the candidate, namely (12 points):

i. Programming in high-level languages, particularly Python, in a UNIX/LINUX environment;

ii. Use of large volumes of data from Earth observation satellites in conjunction with climate model/weather forecast data;

iii. Experience in the analysis of variables and processes, both atmospheric and surface, involved in the water cycle, as well as their implications for weather forecasting and/or climate variability;

c. Extension and knowledge dissemination activities developed in the last five years, particularly in the context of promoting scientific culture and practices, considered most relevant by the candidate, within areas related to this competition (Meteorology, Geophysical Sciences, including Earth Observation). (2 points); d. activities related to the management of science, technology and innovation programs, or experience in observing and monitoring the scientific and technological system or higher education, in Portugal or abroad (1 point).

14. An interview or a public presentation or demonstration session may be held by the candidates, intended exclusively to clarify aspects related to the results of their research and without weight in the evaluation, under the terms and for the purposes of the provisions of paragraph 5 of article 5 of the aforementioned Decree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, in its current wording.

15. In accordance with article 13 of Decree-Law No. 57/2016, of August 29, in its current wording and under the terms of the aforementioned resolution of the Governing Council, the selection committee will have the following composition:

President: Isabel Alexandra Martinho Franco Trigo, Coordinating Researcher at IPMA, IP:

Full Members:

Emanuel Nemésio de Sousa Dutra, Senior Researcher, NOT, IPMA;

Sofia Nunes Lorena Ermida, PhD Researcher, NOT, IPMA;

Alternate Members:

Célia Marina Pedroso Gouveia, Principal Researcher, NOT, IPMA;

Rita de Melo Durão, Assistant Researcher, NOT, IPMA.

16. The jury deliberates by means of a reasoned nominal vote in accordance with the selection criteria adopted and disclosed, and abstentions are not permitted.

17. Minutes are taken of the jury meetings, containing a summary of what occurred therein, as well as the votes cast by each member and their respective justifications, and are made available to candidates upon request.

18. The jury’s final decision will be approved by the Board of Directors of IPMA, I.P.

19.1 The deadline for submitting applications for the procedure is 10 working days, starting from the day after the publication of this notice in the Public Employment Exchange (BEP).

20.1 The application must be accompanied by documents proving the conditions for admission to this competition, namely:

a. Application form available on the IPMA, I.P. website;

b. Copies of certificates or diplomas;

c. Detailed curriculum vitae;

d. Letter of motivation;

e. Other documents relevant to the analysis of the application, including letters of reference.

21.1 Candidates must submit the documents digitally, in PDF format, to the email address recrutamento@ipma.pt.

22. The following are excluded from admission to the competition:

a) Candidates who incorrectly formalize their application or who do not prove the requirements demanded in this competition.

b) Candidates who fail to submit the application form, fail to send the required documentation, or send illegible, incorrectly completed, or invalid documentation will be excluded.

c) Candidates whose doctorate does not fall within the scientific areas required in item 5 of this notice.

The jury reserves the right to require any candidate, in case of doubt, to present supporting documents for their statements.

23. False statements made by candidates will be punished according to the law.

24.1 The list of admitted and excluded candidates, as well as the final ranking list, are published on the website http://www.ipma.pt/pt, and candidates are notified by email with delivery receipt.

25. According to article 121 of the Administrative Procedure Code, in its current wording, after being notified, candidates have 10 working days to respond.

26. Within 90 days from the deadline for submitting applications, the jury will issue its final decisions.

27.1 This competition is exclusively for filling the indicated vacancy and may be terminated until the final ranking list of candidates is approved, expiring upon the respective occupation of the offered position.

28. IPMA, I.P., actively promotes a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunities and access to employment, in accordance with Article 9 of the Constitution.

29. The jury approved this notice at the meeting held on 19/12/2025.

The Member of the Board of Directors, Telmo Carvalho